Sizing and priming device for shotgun shells



INVENTOR ATTORNEYS 5 Sheets-Sheet l W. C. MILLER June 5, 1956 SIZING AND PRIMING DEVICE FOR SHOTGUN SHELLS Filed May l1, 1955 Figi! a w 5 9 4 J3 6 7 8 4 l 2 Z D 23N @M2 2%521833 4.3 :zal-73 L u., 4 n D 9 2 Z w o l Q Il' June 5, 1956 w. c. MILLER 2,748,648

sIzING AND PRIMING DEVICE FOR sHoTGUN sHELLs Filed May 1l, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Flaf 3 INVENTOR 0,11 Z s C'. ller ATTORNEYS w. c. MILLER 2,748,648

SIZING AND PRIMING DEVICE FOR SHOTGUN SHELLS June 5, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheetl 3 Filed May 1l, 1953 liim INVENTOR 0,1122 is C', M z'Z Z e1 ATTORNEYS United Statesv Patent SIZING AND vPRIMING DEVICE FOR vSI-IO'TGUN SHELLS Willis C. Miller, Sacramento, Calif.

Application May 11,1953, Serial No. 353,998

Claims. (Cl. 86-36) This invention relates generally to improvements in apparatus .for `reloading shotgun shells.

In particular the .invention is directed to, and it is a .major object to provide, a novel manually actuated device for sizing the case of a used shotgun shell; removing the .red primer; and inserting a new primer preparatory to .reloading the shell with -powder and shot by means of apparatus such as shown in my copending application, Serial No. 355,779, tiled May 18, 1953..

.Another object of this invention is to provide a device, as in the preceding paragraph, which embodies a novel `plunger unit and anvil assembly for sizing the case .and punching Vout'the `fired primer with one stroke of 4saidp'lunger unit, and to set a -new primer in the shell upon a .subsequent stroke of said plunger unit; the llatter cooperating with separate sizing and priming anvls of saidassembly on successive strokes.

A further :object of the vpresent invention is to provide a novel mechanism for feeding new primers one at a time lfrom a magazine to the priming anvil preparatory .to each priming stroke of the plunger unit; the anvil assembly being :shiftable between different positions, and such feeding of each primer being accomplished automatically by a predetermined shifting motion of said assembly .from one position .to another relative `to said magazine.

A further object of the instant invention is to provide a device which is Aoperative to size .and reprime shotgun shells quickly, positively, and accurately; the device functioning, in the successive steps of the operation, without removing Vthe `shell .from such device, or manually handling said shell It is `also an object of the invention to provide a device for .sizing andreprimingshotgun shells which is designed for ease and economy of manufacture.

.Still -another object of the invention is to provide a practical, reliable, and durable sizing `and priming device for shotgun shells, and one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose .for which it is designed.

'These objects are accomplished by means of such struc- .ture and relative arrangement of parts as will fully `appear by a A-perusal of the following specication `and claims.

In the drawings:

,-Fig. .1 is a .side elevation of the device, partly in section, `showing lthe position of the parts at the start, k.but after .insertion of a shotgun shell.

Fig. 2 is a similar view, but shows the position of -the parts after actuation of the plunger unit to size the case .and to eject -the tired primer.

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan taken `on line 3 3 of Fig. l.

Fig. 44 vis a sectional plan taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2, but with the anvil assembly as shifted to a primer feeding position.

Fig. A5 is an enlarged fragmentary Yelevation showing .the primer magazine and the primer feeding arm; the latter being iin its starting position.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the device showing 'the sizing anvil in position below the plunger unit.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary side elevation of the device, mainly in section, showing the plunger unit as partially lowered to initially engage the shell with the primer anvil.

Fig. 8 is a similar View, but shows the plunger unit in fully lowered position, and with the primer inserted in the shell.

.Referring now more particularly to the characters of `reference on the drawings, the device comprises a rectangular mounting plate 1 adapted to be secured to a work bench or the like; such mounting plate being tted, centrally thereof, with a circular base 2 surrounded by a turnable ring 3.

The ring 3 carries, at one point in its circumference, an arcuate segmental foot plate 4; there being circumferentially spaced stops 5 and 6 on the base L2 spaced apart circumferentiall-y more than the length of the arcuate segmental foot plate, and having projections adapted vfor engagement by corresponding ends of said foot plate. With this arrangement the ring 3 and foot plate 4 are capable of unitary turning motion to a limited extent, but which is substantially greater than the length of said foot plate.

The arcuate segmental foot plate 4 is fitted, in spacedapart relation, with an upstanding sizing anvil, indicated generally at 7, and a shorter, upstanding priming anvil, .indicated generally at 8; the structure of such anvils to hereinafter appear in greater detail.

Centrally thereof the circular base 2 is fitted with an upstanding post 9, to the upper end of which .is secured an upwardly projecting, .radially swingable link 10.; there being Van elongated lever arm l1 pivoted at its inner end .to the upper end of the link itl, and thence extending at an upward and outward incline in a radial vertical plane substantially centrally between the stops 5 and 6.

A vertical stem 12 is pivoted, at its upper end, as at 13, to the lever arm 11, and thence extends downwardly, being in alinement with the sizing anvil 7 when the foot plate 4 is in abutment with the stop 5.

At its lower end the stem l2 is xed in connection with a ,plunger unit, indicated generally at 14, and which comprises the following:

The numeral 15 indicates a tubular outer plunger which runs in a vertical .guide sleeve 16 Xed by a web 17 to a standard 18 which upstands from the lower base 2 radially out from the post 9. Such outer tubular plunger 15 is formed at its upper end with an enlarged head 19 which limits downward travel of said plunger in the guide sleeve 16.

An inner plunger 26 is `slidably engaged in the outer Vplunger 15, and the upper end of said plunger 20 is fixed to the stem 12. The lower end of the inner plunger Ztl is `a reduced-diameter neck, as at 2l, and for a predeter- .rnined distance above the neck 2li-which distance is determined by the length of the shell to be reloaded-the plunger has clearance, as at 22, relative to the outer `plunger 15.

A primer push-cut pin 23 relatively slidably engages in the inner plunger 2t), initially having predetermined projection below the neck 21, as shown in Figs. l and 2.

The upper portion of the primer push-out pin 23 is in the form of a cylindrical shank 24 likewise slidable in the inner plunger 2t); Vthe cylindrical shank 2-3 being connected to the outer plunger 15, at a point above the Lipper end of the clearance 22, by a cross pin 25.

The inner plunger 20 has opposed vertical slots 26 therethrough, and .in which `slots the cross pin 25 is adapted to relative travel; such cross pin initially Vbeing in the lower end of said slots.

In the starting or raised position of the lever arm 11 the outer plunger 15 and inner plunger 20 are latched together for downward travel, as a unit, as follows:

The numeral 27 indicates a depending latch arm formed, at its upper end, with a fork 28 carried bythe pivot.13; such latch arm depending, at the start, into engagement with the head 19, being yieldably maintained in such position by a tension spring 29.

Upon lowering of the lever arm 11 the latch arm 27, by reason of its abutment with the head 19, causes the plungers 15 and 20 to travel downwardly until said head 19 strikes the upper end of the guide sleeve 16. When this occurs a fixed cam 30, which upstands from the guide sleeve 16, cooperates with another cam 31 on the latch arm 27, which causes the latter to swing from a working position, as in Fig. l, outwardly to a released position, as in Fig. 2, whereupon continued downward motion of the lever arm 16 slides the inner plunger 20 downwardly independently of the then stopped-in-travel outer plunger 15 and primer push-out pin 23. The purpose of this relative arrangement of the plungers will hereinafter be evident.

The sizing anvil comprises an upstanding anvil body 32 of tubular form; the bore being indicated at 33, and such body 32 having a reduced-diameter neck 34 at its lower end which engages in a receiving bore formed in the foot plate 4 and ring 3. When the anvil body 32 is in axial alinement with the plunger unit 14, the bore 33 is in register with a hole 35 in the mounting plate 1.

To size a shotgun shell and to punch out the primer, the operation is as follows:

At the start, the ring 3 and foot plate 4 are rotated until the anvils 7 and 8 are clear of the lower end of the plunger unit 14, whereupon a shotgun shell 36 is inserted into the plunger unit 14 from the lower end; the paper case extending in the clearance between the inner plunger and outer plunger 15 (see Fig. 1).

The lower end of the inner plunger 20 is normally disposed some distance above the lower end of the outer plunger 15, with the primer push-out pin 23 projecting downwardly a distance below said lower end of such inner plunger 20.

The metallic case 37 of the shell 36 depends mainly below the lower end of the plunger 15 when the shotgun shell 36 is initially inserted into the plunger unit 14 (see Fig. l).

After such insertion of the shotgun shell 36 in the plunger unit 14, the ring 3 is part-rotated until the anvil body 32 lies in axial alinement with said plunger unit 14; the outer end of the metallic case 37 then being disposed closely adjacent the upper end of anvil body 32.

Upon downward motion of the lever arm 11 from its raised or starting position, the plungers 15 and 20 travel as a unit, with the result that the shotgun shell 35, with its metallic case 37, is forced by the anvil body 32 fully into the plunger unit 14, effectively sizing the shell. At the same time the pin 23 projects through the head wadding 38 and pushes the primer 39 out of the shell; the pushed-out primer then falling downwardly in the bore 33 and escaping through the hole 35. A suitable passage may be formed in the work bench to permit of continued escape of the falling primer 39.

After the shotgun shell 36 is sized by being forced into the outer plunger 15, with the paper of the shell confined in the clearance space 22 between the plungers 15 and 20, and after simultaneous push-out of the primer 39 by the pin 23, the plunger unit 14 is raised to its starting position by corresponding upward swinging of the lever arm 11. Such swinging occurs by itself upon manual release of said arm; the movement being caused by a spring-pressed plunger 40 on link 10 which works against lever arm 11.

The shotgun shell 36 remains in the plunger unit 14 upon return of the latter to its raised position, and the next step in the operation is the tting of the new primer,

and which is accomplished as follows:

The ring 3, together with the foot plate thereon, is partrotated until said foot plate abuts the stop 6. At the moment this occurs the upstanding sizing anvil 7 engages and swings inwardly the projecting tip 41 of a generally L-shaped feeding arm 42 pivoted adjacent but short of said tip 41, as at 43, to a horizontal platform 44 which is fixed on, and projects laterally from, the standard 18; the tops of the platform 44 and anvil 8 being horizontally alined.

The generally L-shaped primer feeding arm lies ush on the platform 44 and is normally maintained in a retracted position, abutting the standard 18, by a tension spring 45; the end of said arm 42 opposite the tip 41 normally being clear of the path of travel of the anvils 7 and 8 as they move with the ring 3. In such normal position of the primer feeding arm 44 a vertical hole 46 in the end portion thereof opposite the tip 1 lies in register directly below the lower end of a vertical tubular magazine 47 which holds a supply of new primers 48 in an end to end stack.

When the ring 3 is part-rotated to cause the foot plate 4 to abut the stop 6, and the sizing anvil 7 engages the projecting tip 41 and swings it inwardly, the primer feeding arm 42 is swung outwardly, which carries the end with the hole 46 to a position above and in direct alinement with the priming anvil 8. When this occurs the new primer 48, which is seated in the hole 46, is slid off of the platform 44 onto the priming anvil 8 and falls into an upwardly opening receiving pocket disposed centrally in said priming anvil.

The priming anvil comprises a base 50 secured to the foot plate 4 with a vertical boss 51 upstanding from such base. The upper portion of the boss 51 is surrounded by a sleeve 52 slidable on said boss and formed, at the upper end, with an enlarged head 53.

A compression spring 54 surrounds the sleeve 52 between the base 50 and head 53, normally urging the sleeve to a raised position, with the head 53 above the upper end of the boss 51 whereby to normally define the pocket 49. The travel of the sleeve 52, through a predetermined limit, is controlled by a cross pin 55 which extends from sleeve 52 through a vertically elongated slot 56 in said boss 51.

After the arm 42 is caused to deliver a new primer 48 into the pocket 49 in the manner previously described, the ring 3 and foot plate 4 are part-rotated suflicient to return the priming anvil 8 to a position in axial alinement between the plunger unit 14. When this occurs, the sizing anvil backs away fromv the tip 41, whence the primer feeding arm 42 is returned to its starting position by the tension spring 45, and at which time the then lowermost new primer 48-which has been riding atop said arm 42-falls into the hole 46 preparatory to the next primer feeding operation.

Upon movement of the relatively short priming anvil 8, with the new primer 48 in the pocket 49, to a position in alinement below the plunger unit 14, the lever arm 11 is again swung downwardly. During the first part of such travel the plungers 15 and 20 run together as a unit, but upon engagement of the head 19 with the upper end of the guide sleeve 16 the latch arm 27 is cammed away to its released position (see Fig. 7), whereby with further downward movement of the lever arm 11 the inner plunger 20 travels downwardly alone, pushing the shotgun shell 36 partially out of the plunger unit 14 and into contact with the enlarged head 53 of the priming anvil 8. With continued downward motion of the lever arm 11 and inner plunger 20, the shotgun shell 36, by reason of its abutment with the enlarged head 53, causes 1 the sleeve 52 to slide downwardly on the vertical boss of the used primer 39. See Fig. 8. Upon the insertion of the new primer 48 into the shotgun shell 36, as above,

the lever arm 11 is released to return to its raised position, which carries the plunger unit 14 upwardly, and at which `time the parts of said unit reassume their starting positions, with the latch arm 27 engaged.

The operator then rotates the ring 3 sucient to clear the anvils 7 and S from the lower end of the plunger unit 14, and as a final step manually withdraws the sized and reprimed shotgun shell from the plunger unit 14.

With the described device shotgun shells'can be conveniently, rapidly, and accurately resized and reprimed; both without the necessity of handling the shotgun shell between the time of its initial insertion in the device and its removal after the operation is complete.

Additionally, the structure of the device is such that it is impossible to use it accidentally in connection with the sizing and repriming of shotgun shells of gauge other than the predetermined gauge for which the device is designed.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there has been produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention, as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new and useful, and upon which Letters Patent are desired:

l. A primer push-out and repriming device for used shotgun shells comprising a base, a standard on the base, a normally raised vertically reciprocable plunger unit mounted in connection with the standard, means to reciprocate the unit, a pair of separate anvils, one having an upwardly opening bore therein and the other being arranged to support a new primer, means mounting the anvils for horizontal shifting movement to alternately dispose the same under the plunger unit, said unit including an outer plunger and an inner plunger, there being clearance between said plungers from the lower end upwardly a distance suicient for the reception of a shotgun shell therebetween in fitting relation and with its primer-containing end lowermost and initially below the plunger unit; a primer push-out pin depending from the inner plunger and arranged so that upon a partial downward stroke of the plunger unit when the one anvil is alined therewith the shell is moved into contact with said one anvil and the used primer is pushed out of the shell and into the bore of the anvil; the other anvil being of lesser height than said one anvil whereby when the other anvil is alined with the plunger unit a further downward stroke thereof beyond said partial stroke is required to move the shell into engagement with said other anvil; the outer plunger and pin being secured together as a unit, and the inner plunger being downwardly slidable relative thereto from an initially raised position; releasable latch means securing the outer plunger and pin unit, and the inner plunger, for simultaneous downward motion to the extent of said partial downward stroke, means operative to stop downward movement of the outer plunger and pin unit at the end of said partial stroke, and means arranged to simultaneously release said latch means to permit said further downward stroke of the inner plunger so that the latter engages the shell at its lower end and pushes the same down onto a new primer supported on said other anvil.

2. A sizing, primer push-out, and repriming device for used shotgun shells comprising a base, a standard on the base, a vertical sleeve secured to the standard above the base, an outer tubular plunger slidable downwardly in the sleeve from an initially raised position, means to limit such downward sliding motion of the outer plunger, an inner plunger slidable downwardly in the outer plunger from an initially raised position therein, the lower end of the inner plunger initially being spaced 6 ,abovev the corresponding Yend A'ofthe outer plunger land there being clearance between saidv plungers upwardly from the lower end a distance and of a width sufficient Vto permit of insertion of a. used shotgun shell with the metallic case lowermost, said case initially extending at least lin part 'below the outer plunger, a primer push-*out pin fixed to the vouter plunger and extending in relatively slidable .relation axiallyin -the inner plunger and initially projecting to a Vlower end termination therebelow, means to impart adownward stroke to the inner plunger, releasable means latching the outer plunger to the inner plunger for travel therewith through an initial and partial portion of said stroke, means to release the latch means at the end of said portion of the stroke whereby the inner plunger alone is capable of completion of a full stroke, one anvil having an upwardly opening bore therein, another anvil having an upwardly opening pocket for reception of a new primer therein, said other anvil being shorter than said one anvil and including a depressible body part whose depression disposes the new primer for its full height thereabove, means mounting the anvils on the base for movement as a unit with one or the other of said anvils axially alined with the plungers or both clear thereof; said one anvil being alined with the plungers during said partial stroke whereby the shell is engaged and forced fully into the outer plunger with simultaneous push-out of the used primer by said pin; and said other anvil being alined with plungers during completion of a stroke alone by said inner plunger whereby the latter pushes the metallic case out of the outer plunger clear of the pin and into depressing engagement with said body part, whence the new primer is seated in said case; and means to feed a new primer into said pocket upon predetermined motion of the anvils.

3. A device, as in claim 2, in which said last named means includes an upstanding tubular magazine for a row of new primers, means mounting the magazine in a fixed position adjacent the assembly of plungers, a platform spaced below the magazine, a feeder arm pivoted on the platform having a vertical hole therethrough to receive a new primer from the lower end of the magazine, the arm being swingable between one position with the hole below the magazine and another position with the hole alined with the pocket when said other anvil is in a predetermined position clear of the plungers, said other anvil then being immediately adjacent one edge of the platform and said body being substantially flush with the latter, the arm in all positions remaining under the magazine, and means engaged by said one anvil, upon movement of said other anvil to said predetermined position, operative to cause the arm to so swing.

4. A primer push-out and repriming device for used shotgun shells, comprising a base, a vertical plunger adapted to receive a used shotgun shell thereon from below, the metallic case and used primer therein then being lowermost, said plunger being supported above the base for a downward stroke from an initially raised position, a primer push-out pin slidable in the plunger and initially projecting axially from its lower end, means arranged to cause the pin to travel in iixed relation to the plunger upon an initial portion of said stroke and to remain stationary during a further portion thereof whereby to relatively retract into said plunger, and a pair of anvils mounted on the base for selective horizontal movement to position either in alinement with said plunger; said anvils being of different heights, the tallest having a central, upwardly opening bore and cooperating with the plunger upon said initial portion of the stroke, and the shortest being adapted to support a new primer and cooperating with the plunger upon said further portion of the stroke.

5. A device, as in claim 4, including an outer tubular plunger surrounding said first named plunger in spaced shell receiving relation, said outer plunger being fixed with the pin whereby to travel with said rst named 735,047 plunger only during said initial portion of the stroke and so that said rst named plunger moves downward in the outer plunger during said further portion of the stroke; 931554 said first named plunger initially terminating at its lower 5 end above the corresponding end of the outer plunger and the pin then projecting below the latter.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNTTED STATES PATENTS 10 419,473 Rees Jan. 14, 1890 8 Alsop Aug. 4, 1903 FOREIGN PATENTS France 1871 Great Britain Oct. 12, 1889 France Feb. 19, 1925 

